When in history have the ones banning books or people been the good guys?
A small town in Tennessee becomes infamous for banning homosexuality in public...'cuz it's precisely what Jesus would do, don'tchaknow?
Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
Isaac Asimov
Religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet. Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
Napoleon Bonaparte
What happens when a group of people lack any semblance of compassion, empathy, and recognition that people are unique individuals with the Constitutional right to be who they are?
Well, you end up with Murfreesboro, TN, a small town that’s decided now is a GREAT time to hop on the homophobia train.
A city in Tennessee is using a recently passed ordinance essentially prohibiting homosexuality in public to try to ban library books that might violate the new rules.
Murfreesboro passed an ordinance in June banning “indecent behavior,” including “indecent exposure, public indecency, lewd behavior, nudity or sexual conduct.” As journalist Erin Reed first reported, this ordinance specifically mentions Section 21-72 of the city code. The city code states that sexual conduct includes homosexuality.
Anyone who violates the new ordinance is barred from hosting public events or selling goods and services at public events for two years. Anyone who violates the ordinance “in the presence of minors” is barred for five years.
The municipal mandate, adopted in June, is being used to target books in the local library system.
This might be a good time to mention that no one ever protected freedom and liberty by banning things.
(Among the Tennessee Department of Tourism’s rejected slogans:
TENNESSEE- WHERE FREEDOM REIGNS, AS LONG AS YOU’RE A WHITE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN CISGENDER HETEROSEXUAL!!)
The biggest problem with the ordinance is its distressingly vague nature, which is being exploited by those inclined to ban what they feel is indecent.
The ordinance, outlawing "indecent behavior" in public and prohibiting "indecent materials," is alarmingly vague in its delineation of indecency. This definition used in the law links back to a city statute that explicitly bans public homosexuality or materials promoting homosexuality. The code has already been used to target local Pride events. Now, the code’s enforcement has reached the local library system, where at least four books, all containing LGBTQ+ themes, have been pulled from the shelves.
The ordinance in question is city ordinance 23-O-22. The ordinance states that the community “has the right to establish and preserve contemporary community standards.” It goes on to state that “indecent behavior” or “display” of “indecent materials” would be banned by the new provision. Importantly, the definitions of indecency link back to the city codes definition in section 21-71 of Murfreesboro city codes, which states that “sexual conduct” barred under the provisions includes “homosexuality.” The city ordinance further states that any “behaviors, materials or events that are patently offensive to the adult community” in Murfreesboro would also be banned. Finally, it gives police officers the right to enforce the provisions and states that anybody using city funds for the banned events or materials could be charged with further crimes.
The relevant section of the ordinance:
Even glancing at the ordinance will reveal its most prominent and glaring problem. “Indecent behavior” is mentioned four times. Then there are “indecent materials or events” and “conduct indecent events.”
What is “indecent behavior?” Or is the definition left to the imagination of the person observing and reporting the “behavior?” Do Murfreesboro city leaders plan to lean on the “I know it when I see it” model? And precisely how will that work? WHO will “know it” when they “see it?”
The ordinance wasn’t strictly enforced initially, but recently, city officials have begun using it to target Murfreesboro’s LGBTQ community in numerous ways. This isn’t particularly surprising since it appears to have been the unspoken intent of the ordinance.
The Rutherford County Library Board, chiefly composed of appointees from Murfreesboro’s city council and the Rutherford County Commission, met in August to remove books that might infringe upon the new statute. At a packed meeting in August, library authorities resolved to withdraw four titles: "Flamer," "Let's Talk About It," "Queerfuly & Wonderfully Made," and "This Book Is Gay," all of which feature LGBTQ+ content. Following that, the council moved to enact a tiered library card system, where most nonfiction content will be gated behind the adult-only library card. This system will go into effect in 2024.
On Monday, however, the county steering committee met to discuss a new resolution: the removal of all books in the library that could possibly violate the Murfreesboro ordinance. The fiery meeting featured multiple board members stating that they had the right to “enforce community standards” and ban books. Speeches against the proposal were passionate, including one passionate speech by local activist Keri Lambert, who pointed out that the law was already being challenged in court and asked, “when have the people who ban books ever been the good guys?”
Ms. Lambert’s right, of course…but then the narrow-minded haters aren’t worried about being the good guys. They’re terrified…of what they don’t know, but as the man said, we always hate what we fear most in ourselves, right?
Murfreesboro has outlawed a “problem” whose definition it has left deliberately vague. The potential difficulty with that hardly needs to be elucidated, which helps explain why the city is being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
An ACLU-backed challenge to the ordinance has already been launched, but that hasn’t stopped city officials from implementing the measure. Last Monday, the Rutherford County steering committee met to discuss removing all books that might potentially violate the ordinance from the public library. The resolution was met with widespread outcry from city residents….
Murfreesboro city officials have already used the ordinance to ban four books that discuss LGBTQ themes….
The board also implemented a new library card system that categorizes books into certain age groups. When it takes effect next year, children and teenagers will only be able to check out books that correspond to their age group; they will need permission from a parent or guardian to check out “adult” books.
Library director Rita Shacklett worried in August that the new rules would prevent students from accessing books they need for a class. She explained that many classic high school books, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, are now classified as “adult.”
Unsurprisingly, attacks on the library system have hardly been the only use of the ordinance. As detailed in court filings in 2022 attempting to overturn the ordinance,
Mufreesboro City Manager Craig Tindall stated that he would refuse permits to BoroPride after claiming that the Pride festival “intentionally exposed children” to sexual conduct
The idea behind the deliberately vague language in the ordinance was to allow city leaders to paint with a broad brush regarding “indecent behavior.” Initially, it’s been used against books with “homosexual content” and the LGBTQ community- specifically, Pride events. But it could also be used against other groups and activities those in the community find offensive.
Hence, the suit brought by the ACLU. The problem with those who’d engage in censorship being allowed to paint with a broad brush is its chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression. On its face, Murfreesboro’s ordinance would appear to be unconstitutional. Of course, I’m not a constitutional lawyer, and there’s no telling what legal precedent might be set if this case ends up in front of a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump.
[A]ccording to the filing, the city council crafted a ruling behind the scenes to target LGBTQ+ events and material. Specifically, they connected the new provisions to a 1977 definition of obscenity that included homosexual conduct:
"Still worse, the Ordinance incorporates an earlier provision that defines 'indecent behavior' as including not simply masturbation and sexual intercourse (which most would agree are inappropriate in public), but also any acts of 'homosexuality' as a whole. Thus, under the Ordinance and the incorporated definition, any acts that are 'homosexual' in nature or any material or event even suggesting homosexuality, could be considered indecent and subject to civil and criminal penalties."
The challenge to the ordinance is under way by American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU, Ballard Spahr, and Burr Forman on behalf of BoroPride, which was allowed to go forward after organizers reached an agreement with the city government.
Tennessee's legislative landscape this year has been marked by the passage of several anti-LGBTQ+ statutes, particularly those banning gender affirming care and drag performances. While the ban on gender-affirming care has been upheld by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the prohibition of drag shows has been blocked as unconstitutional. Meanwhile, local governments have been reactivating decades-old obscenity laws in attempts to ban LGBTQ+ expression. The ordinance in Murfreesboro is the latest manifestation of an ongoing campaign targeting LGBTQ+ rights, signaling a broader trend of restrictions to free speech and expression for the community within the state.
Yeah, Tennessee’s a mess, the sort of place where one can step outside and be slapped in the face by the fact that it feels like 1933 again. That’s too bad because I love Nashville, but I don’t know if I’d want to return to the Volunteer State, given what it’s becoming. It’s become the White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual State ©, the sort of place that doesn’t welcome those who don’t fit into their narrow little box.
Then again, it’s precisely what Jesus would do, don’tchaknow?
Yes, indeed, there’s no hate quite like Christian love.
I find it difficult to understand why people who consider themselves good, god-fearing Christians would engage in “the latest manifestation of an ongoing campaign targeting LGBTQ+ rights.” What are they so afraid of? Are they afraid “The Gay” will somehow rub off on themselves or their precious snowflakes?
Do the good, Jesus-loving Republicans in the White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual State © believe that the way to protect freedom and liberty is to oppress those whose lifestyle they disagree with?
And here’s something else these paragons of “Christianity” may not have taken into account- when you focus on denying others their freedom, you’re denying yourself your own freedom. No person can truly be free when their primary efforts deny others their right to be free.
Tennessee is so far down the road to becoming the White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual State © that they’re no longer able to recognize what they’re meant to be.
Greetings from 1933; who says history isn’t circular?
**UPDATE**
I sat on this post for a while. Then, just as I was about to put this to bed, I learned that “homosexuality” is no longer illegal in Murfreesboro. Yay, buttsecks….
You’ll be relieved to know that “homosexuality” is now no longer forbidden by law in the city of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, after the City Council recently updated an unenforced city ordinance banning “indecent behavior” that dated back to 1949 — but which, though “unenforced,” they were going to do their best to use against city Pride events. The stupid old law was challenged in federal court by the ACLU and by BoroPride, organizers of the city’s annual Pride event held in October.
An October 20 order by Chief District Judge Waverly Crenshaw told city officials not to try to enforce the provision of city law that includes “homosexuality” — not doing gay sex, but being gay — as “sexual conduct” that’s forbidden in public. The October 28 Pride event went forward just fine, but because the organizers had — just in case —scheduled it in a local indoor horse show / tractor pull coliseum, it had about 2,500 fewer attendees than in years when it was a genuinely public event at local businesses.
The First Amendment lawsuit grew out of city officials’ attempts to use the archaic law against the Murfreesboro LGBTQ community; last year, City Manager Craig Tindall cited the law in a vow that he would never approve permits for the 2023 event, claiming that it “intentionally exposed children” to sexual conduct, because look, it’s right there in the city ordinance that homosexuality is the same as public fucking.
Why yes, the law was unconstitutional anyway, given that the Supreme Court got rid of bans on LGBTQ existence — and even homosexing in private between consenting adults — with its 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling. That remains the case today, no matter how badly some Christian Nationalists want to have Lawrence rolled back.
So, no matter how much good, God-fearing White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexuals may hate those they believe are engaging in the immoral buttsecks, they can’t make “being gay” illegal. Yep, you can’t make a person’s mere existence illegal. The good, God-fearing White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexuals of Murfreesboro will have to stifle their gag reflexes and deal with it.
Of course, now that one stupid ol’ hateful city in the Volunteering To Hate State has been slapped down, we can all rest easy ‘cuz peace and happiness will reign throughout the kingdom, yeah?
Aw, hell nah. As Erin Reed reports, the extremely vague language of the city ordinance, which invokes “community standards” as an excuse to police “indecency” and to protect “against harm to minors from public expressions appealing to prurient interests,” is still likely to be used to target library books that rightwingers don’t like, as was the case even before the change in the law. Earlier this month, the county library board introduced a resolution calling for the removal of all books that could conceivably violate that law.
Fortunately, the October order allowing the Pride festival wasn’t the end of the lawsuit, which remains active, so the patently unconstitutional attempt to censor library books seems unlikely to hold up either. And the folks who are getting sick and tired of all these pinch-faced Bible-bangers keeps increasing, even in red states. In conclusion, have a happy Thanksgiving next week, and don’t let the poultry-fucking bastards anywhere near your turkey.
And it turns out there ain’t no hate quite like Christian love.
The parade of holier-than-thou Christians who DO think they’re better than everyone else long ago grew tiresome- especially to atheists like me who’d prefer to appeal to reason. Unfortunately, there is no reasoning with the American Taliban, who’d rather legislate you out of existence (or worse) than try to find common ground.
Because Jesus, don’tchaknow?
‘Course, what the ‘thumpers don’t realize (or ignore because of its inconvenience) is that the Jesus Christ they purport to worship would’ve welcomed The Gayz with open arms. If they’d ever read their New Testament, they’d learn that Christ was about love, tolerance, acceptance, and understanding…among other things.
Then again, if they didn’t have someone to hate, how would they be able to feel so holy and self-superior?
The good news is that the city of Murfreesboro finally came to its senses, albeit with some not-inconsiderable assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). After being sued by the ACLU, the City Council removed language in the ordinance that banned homosexuality in public.
Murfreesboro's "public decency" ordinance, passed in June, listed various "indecent" behaviors in the Murfreesboro city code, including "homosexuality," alongside "acts of masturbation" and "sexual intercourse." Opponents said it effectively banned being gay in public and contributed to systematic discrimination against the city's LGBTQ communities in a state with an already-sordid record.
In October, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the city on behalf of the Tennessee Equality Project (TEP), accusing it of enacting the ordinance to drive Murfreesboro's LGBTQ community — particularly drag performers — out of public spaces and to prevent TEP from hosting its BoroPride Festival on city grounds.
While the removal of “homosexuality” from the list of indecent behaviors met with the approval of the ACLU, the group is proceeding with the lawsuit in the hope the court will declare the ordinance unconstitutional.
The good, God-fearing, White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual patriots of Murfreesboro will have to get used to Teh Gayz shakin’ their moneymakers again. Still, there’s some good news for the business community in this “defeat” of “Christian” morality.
Gay money is every bit as legal tender as good, God-fearing, White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual patriotic money, don’tchaknow? And the LGBTQ community probably won’t contribute to the crime rate. So, win-win, yeah??
Besides, as I said earlier, if you don’t have the LGBTQ community around, who are the good, God-fearing, White Conservative Christian Cisgender Heterosexual patriots going to feel superior to? It’s not like there’s an oversupply of Liberals in Murfreesboro, right?
So, memorize some Cher lyrics, and y’all will fit right in?
Do you believe in life after love? I can feel something inside me say, "I really don't think you're strong enough, no."
(All of my posts are now public. Any reader financial support will be considered pledges- support that’s greatly appreciated but not required to get to all of my work. I’ll trust my readers to determine if my work is worthy of their financial support and at what level. To those who do offer their support, thank you. It means more than you know.)
Our ideals are absolute! ... ly servile when it comes to our pocket books.